Southampton’s defence are Mauricio Pochettino’s unsung heroes

The win over Swansea has made the current Southampton side a group of record-breakers – and it is the defence that should take a lot of credit for laying the foundations.

We’ve now achieved 55 points, the highest that Saints have accumulated in the Premier League and a wonderful milestone for everyone to be proud of.

Plaudits have rightly gone to our attacking trio of Adam Lallana, Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert for providing so many goals and winning numerous games.

But they wouldn’t have had the opportunity without the solidarity of our back-line, who have been just as crucial in such a strong season.

Since the early part of the campaign, very little has been said about the excellence of Saints’ defence and I feel that this is the ideal time to give praise to those who have been at the back.

Saints have now managed 15 clean sheets in all competitions – an astonishing turnaround for those of us who can remember how dreadful we were defensively for much of 2012-13.

Credit for this must go to manager Mauricio Pochettino, who has focused on organising the defence since his arrival last year.

His methods were beginning to take effect by the end of last season – but now he’s completed their transition into a top-class defensive unit.

Obviously the signing of Dejan Lovren has been a major part of that, as the Croatian has been nothing short of superb. He had a small blip after returning from injury in March, but is now back to his best again. I’d go as far as to say that he is the finest centre-back I’ve seen in a Southampton shirt.

Lovren has made a formidable partnership with Jose Fonte, and I feel that the latter’s game has benefited enormously as a result. Fonte is by far the most improved player of the season and has hardly put a foot wrong, learning from his difficulties at the start of last year. His commitment to the cause is total, and he’s become a rock at the heart of the defence.

The full-backs have proven to be excellent too, models of consistency for players of such a young age. So much has been said about Luke Shaw, but neither Nathaniel Clyne nor Calum Chambers have been far behind the England international in their performances.

The competition from Chambers has raised Clyne’s game and their rivalry for the right-back spot can only be healthy for Saints. I’m convinced that either one can break into Roy Hodgson’s plans before too long.

A mention should also go to Artur Boruc. The Pole might alienate fans with his eccentricities and his proneness to the occasional howler, but he has had a good season in general. He’s a strong presence, and is capable of match-winning displays like the one in the reverse fixture against Swansea at St Mary’s.

It would be fitting for Saints to keep a final clean sheet against United – a feat that would crown a fantastic campaign.